A 17-year member of the Arkansas County Quorum Court passed away Tuesday due to illness. Sherry Criswell of DeWitt first took office as the District 5 Justice of the Peace on Jan. 1, 1995.

“She was just a great lady,” Arkansas County Judge Glenn “Sonny” Cox said. “She was a team player and the type of person that if there was a challenge, she took it on.”

A born leader, Cox said she did a wonderful job serving the county by bring her banking and financial experience to the county’s budget and financial committee, which helped when making hard decisions. “She will be missed,” he said.

Criswell served on the quorum court’s committees for public service, budget and finance and records and preservation. Cox said she was set to retire at the end of 2012 when her position was absorbed into District 2 through the county’s redistricting plan. Her seat will not be filled.

The 2012 DeWitt Citizen of the Year, Criswell was a retired employee of Arkansas County Bank, a member of the Board of Visitors since Phillips Community College expanded into Arkansas County in 1997 and served on PCCUA’s Single Parent Scholarship fund.